It's a Wonderful Life

As December rolls in, so does the holiday season and with the holidays, so comes It's a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra's 1946 meditation on the little things in life, that has become less a part of American cinema as it has become a part of the American consciousness. Few films come to mind that are so instantly recognizable by so many, it's images seared into the minds of multiple generations, touching the hearts and minds of most everyone who is lucky enough to experience it. However, with its overwhelming holiday presence, too many people have begun to overlook the film's true accomplishments and view it strictly as a schmaltzy Christmas favorite. In reality, it is a tremendously dark view on the harsh realities of life, a work of art that masks itself as pop entertainment. While its conclusion, with all the singing and bells ringing, is undeniably optimistic, its first two hours are undeniably not. It is truly magical that Capra can so quickly and effectively switch the film's mood in a way that quite frankly, very few directors were/are capable of.

It's not difficult to see the intentions of the film. By setting up every memorable and positive event with a direct negative foil, Capra carefully engineers a life that one could look back on and see a minus for every plus. For example, George wants to travel the world yet his father dies unexpectedly, leaving him stuck in Bedford Falls while his brother is able to go off and live George's dream. He receives the news of his father's untimely demise during a romantic interlude between him and (unbeknownst to him) his future wife. His wedding day is offset by a financial crisis, leaving his honeymoon in jeopardy after he has to use his own money to keep his father's building and loan in business. Even events like his Uncle's forgetfulness and loss of a great sum of money, offset the optimism and promise of a new year on the horizon, of Christmas Eve. When it comes time for George's monumental decision of whether or not to take his own life, it is not difficult to place yourself in the poor man's shoes. His life has crumbled before his eyes and on top of a terrible day, he's having a worse night. Suicide and debt doesn’t exactly strike me as holiday season material.

The skill in which Capra pulls all of this utterly depressing material together, yet keeps the film compulsively watchable is never short of astounding. One is never turned off from the struggles of George Bailey (a great deal of acclaim must be given to Jimmy Stewart here, as he contributes one of the great everyman performances of all time). Instead, you desperately pull for this completely likable character to pull through, to recognize that his life is not as hopeless as it looks. Capra, utilizing a bleak, film noir-ish look for the night of George's great decision, brings everything to an almost unbearable peak, and with everything crashing down, one is left to ponder the worth of life in that brief moment on the bridge.

It is the redemption filled final 30 minutes that gives It's a Wonderful Life it's reputation as the holiday favorite it is. With a unabashed enthusiasm, Capra flies through an alternate reality that truly feels noir-ish, the small town charms of Bedford Falls replaced by the near urban decadence and decay of Pottersville. This sequence is oddly what feels most in step with the cinema of the day, a postwar view of the world that is cynical, dark and difficult. Seemingly borrowing from the noir masters of the time, Capra's sequence in Pottersville is also the most un-Capra like moment in the entire ordeal (maybe in his entire filmography) and it is what makes the film the classic it is. Had Capra not delved so deeply into the misery that dominates Pottersville, the entire film would have come to a grinding halt at its conclusion, its final moments feeling unearned and trite. They still may feel sappy and overwrought but certainly not unearned. Bailey has gone through hell and back to arrive at this point of jubilation. He has seen the world without his life, he has experienced the suffering and hardships and the moment with friends and family is earnest and moving. Its an ultimate triumph of the everyman over the evil Potter and in many ways, it is a celebration of community wealth, a near Marxist victory over the capitalistic Potter. In many ways, it seems almost anti-American in an economical sense, yet oddly American in its embrace of community.

To say that Capra was un-American is quite frankly absurd: his work in WWII and even Mr. Smith Goes to Washington negate any claims. However, it is curious that such a sentiment is able to creep into the ending of It's a Wonderful Life. In fact, despite the sudden influx of money into the Bailey household, the lasting line in the film is from Clarence, Bailey's guardian angel, and its message is undeniable: "Remember that no man is a failure who has friends." No where is their a mention of money or wealth. Instead, the film celebrates the community helping each other, not the money the community help provides. Its anti-capitalistic sentiments can be overlooked upon first viewing but with each subsequent, it becomes more difficult. For an American Christmas classic, the film tends to go against the stereotypical American ideologies in its conclusions. Yet it perseveres still. Perhaps it is the American's public willingness to overlook the politics in the weeks leading up to a day spent celebrating all that is worthwhile in life. It is a throwback to the real celebration of Christmas, an anti-commercialist, anti-capitalist fable about the true power of friends. Perhaps that is why the American public keeps on bringing back this wonderfully deceptive, yet completely entertaining and life affirming film.

Point is, to call It's a Wonderful Life just a holiday film is short sighted and lazy. While it undeniably fits the time of the season, there is a great deal more to Capra's work. Sure, it may be corny at times (it is, after all referred to as "Capracorn") but if there is ever a time of year to allow for nostalgia and good-natured celebration, now is it. I don't mean to say that It's a Wondeful Life is not a holiday film, too much says that it is, but one must look further. At its heart, there is a dark, postwar view of life, filled with desperation, heartbreak and hate. It hits notes as bleak as anything being made at the time and often times, is slyly and masterfully subversive. Most Christmas films don't touch those feelings, relying on good nature alone to exist. That is why It's a Wonderful Life is so much more, and that is why it is not only the finest of the Christmas films but one of the finest of American cinema, as well.

*Note here the almost Film Noir composition of this shot. The extreme close up of a face, just off center. A look of woe, a shadow being cast of part of the hero's face. Or here:

Doesn't exactly shout Ho Ho Ho, does it? Excuse the poor quality but the anger and grief in Stewart's face here is amazing, a man who has hit the end of his rope.